About Us

The Surfrider Foundation Oregon Network is a collection of activists, members, and chapters who are all working towards our common mission and sustaining the quality of life that we enjoy in the great State of Oregon. The Network includes the Newport, Siuslaw, Coos Bay, and Portland Chapters, as well as organizing committees on the North Coast and South Coast. Though the surf is cold here in Oregon, the fire burns bright for ocean stewardship within the hearts of our dedicated chapter members. We work on a range of issues and campaigns at a local and statewide level to protect and enhance our ocean and coastal resources. In addition, our chapters also run many programs such as water quality monitoring through our Blue Water Task Force, which is great way for the entry level volunteer to get involved. The Chapters are supported through paid staff including Oregon Policy Manager Charlie Plybon, Oregon Field Manager Briana Goodwin, and Environmental Director Pete Stauffer. Learn more about our activities by checking out the various pages on our website and get active with your local chapter today!

Published Resources:

Oregon Non-Consumptive Recreational Use Study- The Surfrider Foundation recently published a report on ocean recreation in Oregon revealing that 80% of Oregonians visited the coast in 2012, generating an estimated $2.4 billion in expenditures. The study, a collaboration between the Surfrider Foundation, Ecotrust, and NaturalEquity, investigated participation in activities such as surfing, kayaking, wildlife viewing, and beach going, as well as the economic expenditures related to these uses. The study also collected spatial – or geographic – information on activity use that was used in Oregon’s Territorial Sea Plan process to help identify suitable locations for renewable energy development off Oregon’s coast by avoiding important recreational areas. Download-> Oregon Non-Consumptive Recreational Ocean Use Study

Blue Water Task Force Annual Report 2012- To help make sure your day at the beach does not make you sick, the Surfrider Foundation and Emergen-C Blue recently released the Second Annual Blue Water Task Force Annual Report to share water quality results from Surfrider Chapters volunteer-run water testing labs. Download 2012 Annual Report

Winchester Bay Coastal User Survey- In 2009, Surfrider hired Marissa Matsler who was a graduate student at Yale University as an intern to conduct a recreational use study to help inform the decision making and gain a more comprehensive understanding of recreational use at the South Jetty in relation to a proposed wave energy project attached to the jetty. Marissa put in a legendary effort for this study frequently showing up at the beach at 7am and staying until 8pm and collected surveys from over 1,000 beach and ocean users, and then published a top notch report of her findings. Funding for this study was generously provided from the Oregon Wave Energy Trust through Douglas County. Support was also provided by Oregon Sea Grant, as well as Linwood Pendleton, formerly of Duke University. Download->MATSLER- Winchester Bay Coastal User Survey Report_Full